Return to Squatting Without Hip Pain

Experiencing hip pain when squatting? Today's post is for you! Let us dive into front of hip pain with squats and how to gain pain relief.

I myself have dealt with hip pain when squatting for a couple years now. I suffer from hip impingement / FAI and labral tears in both hips, but I have worked hard to become pain free with some key focus points in my own training. Here are some strategies to help eliminate or certainly reduce the front of hip pain you may be experiencing when squatting.

First, we need to consider the anatomy. Your hip is made up of your pelvis and your femur. If you get front of hip pain when going lower in your squats, it is often associated with these structures. What you need to master is your best squat position to maximize mobility in this joint. Play around with different squat angles and foot width to find what feels most comfortable in your squat. Second, we need to stop poking the bear. If you get pain at low squats, we need to decrease your range of motion in the short term to stop pissing off your hip which will then allow us to squat deeper, later. Use a bench or a box and perform your same weight but just to less depth.

Often, when speaking about range of motion, the hip is usually lacking rotational mobility (internal or external rotation) or general hip flexion. Before you go wrenching on your hip for more mobility, get a proper evaluation from a physical therapist specializing in hip impingement to determine where your limitations are so you can speed up the recovery process. We also often see the glute medius and the glute maximus underperforming in situations with anterior hip pain. Focus on some muscle firing isolation work to these two and this is a great place to begin! I assure you, this hip pain won’t last forever. It is just time to get some guidance on the areas you need to focus on to get back to moving optimally in your squat again!

Have more questions about how physical therapy can help your hip pain with squatting? I would be happy to chat further about how Loon State Physical Therapy can be your teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.

Until next time!

Andrew Eccles

Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy